MYSIOAMEWTMMAlTWOAM: Chapter 65

Glossary

·Qin Yuan (秦鸢): The female protagonist, Marquise of the Dingbei Marquis Household.

·Gu Jinghui (顾靖晖): The male protagonist, the Marquis.

·Hongye (红叶): Qin Yuan's personal maidservant.

·Cuiming (翠茗): Qin Yuan's personal maidservant.

·Bai Que (白雀): A maidservant serving Zhao Niangzi.

·Old Madame Gu (顾老夫人): Gu Jinghui's mother.

·Zhao Niangzi (赵娘子): The widow the Marquis brought back.

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Chapter 65: This Marquis Is Not an Unreasonable Man

Hongye immediately said, "I'll go see what's happening."

Before the words fully left her mouth, she had already lifted the curtain and rushed out.

Gu Jinghui also tilted his head to listen. Previously absorbed in conversation with Qin Yuan, he had completely missed the commotion outside. Now he wondered what fresh trouble had arisen.

Soon, he identified the cause.

His handsome brows drew together tightly, anger already darkening his features.

Noting his expression, Qin Yuan's own slender eyebrows furrowed slightly, deep in thought.

Hongye rushed back in, breathless. "Marquis, Madame! Bai Que's parents have charged in carrying thorned branches on their backs! They're kneeling beneath the corridor right now!"

Hearing this, Qin Yuan's brow smoothed. She looked at Gu Jinghui and said, "It seems when they pleaded with Mother yesterday, she didn't relent. Now they're trying to trade on their seniority, begging you, Marquis, to save their face."

Gu Jinghui reined in his anger and asked her, "What do you think should be done, Yu'an'er?"

Qin Yuan replied, "By causing a scene at Wutong Yuan, they simply believe you cannot refuse them this courtesy. Moreover..." She drew out the pause, looking at Hongye, "...they probably blame my maid as well."

Having been cautioned by her mistress the previous night, Hongye immediately grasped the situation. Indignantly, she said, "Bai Que was the one who did wrong, and the Marquis punished her! Why should they blame this servant? They're just picking on someone they think is weak!"

Gu Jinghui glanced at her, a flicker of dark amusement in his narrow eyes. Displeased, he said, "Are you suggesting they should blame this Marquis instead? You, servant, truly..."

Qin Yuan swiftly cut him off. "Please help this maid, Marquis."

She lifted her face toward him. In the morning light, the fine down on her jade-white skin was visible. The tiny mole on the tip of her delicate nose made Gu Jinghui desperately want to reach out and touch it.

Hiding his hands behind his back, he rubbed his fingers together before finally saying, "Very well. All for your sake. This maid of yours is infuriating all day long. Only you spoil her so. If it were up to me, I'd have her beaten ten times with the disciplinary cane first, to stop her wild talk."

Hongye: "..."

The Marquis was truly not a good man.

And here she had been speaking well of him to her Young Lady!

Qin Yuan let out a soft laugh. "Hongye, aren't you going to thank the Marquis? Otherwise, if Bai Que's parents fix their hatred on you, it will be truly troublesome."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Only then did Hongye understand. She promptly bowed to the Marquis. "Thank you, Marquis. This servant will definitely serve diligently from now on and will not act presumptuously."

Gu Jinghui snorted, amused. "You'd better remember that."

Qin Yuan reminded him, "Marquis, Bai Que's parents are still outside."

Gu Jinghui looked through the window lattice. Bai Que's father and mother, dressed in coarse cloth with thorned branches strapped to their backs, knelt beneath the corridor, weeping and begging the Marquis to give them, his longtime servants, some face and not expel Bai Que.

Gu Jinghui turned back to Qin Yuan. "I can't go out to meet people like this."

He glanced meaningfully at the tray holding his clothes and accessories, making it perfectly clear he wanted Qin Yuan to help him dress.

Qin Yuan hurriedly said, "Hongye, quickly bring the Marquis's clothes."

The corners of Gu Jinghui's lips quirked upward. He spread his arms, allowing Qin Yuan to maneuver around him. He remained silent, only occasionally giving her hand a slight squeeze, his expression remaining perfectly solemn as if it were merely an absent-minded gesture.

Qin Yuan was speechless but had to endure it.

Shortly, the Marquis was tidied up to a radiant and respectable state, his hair even re-styled by Qin Yuan. Finally, with his hands clasped behind his back, he stepped out the door. He cleared his throat lightly and said, "Qian Da, Qian Da's wife, you've watched this Marquis grow up. At your advanced age, kneeling here like this only makes things difficult for me. If you have something to say, speak plainly. This Marquis is not an unreasonable man."

He then addressed the nearby young maids, "Why are you just standing there? Help your Grandfather Qian and Grandmother Qian up at once and escort them inside."

Without waiting for the couple to respond, the Marquis strode directly toward the main hall.

Qian Da and his wife had initially intended to stubbornly remain kneeling, but seeing the Marquis had already entered the hall, they had no choice but to rise and follow.

Qin Yuan and her two maids followed behind the Marquis. She thought to herself, So Bai Que's parents are named Qian. Fitting, since this Qian manages the money vaults.

The treasury was entrusted only to the most trusted servants in the household. It was clear the Old Madame had initially assigned Bai Que to Zhao Niangzi with genuine sincerity, wanting to properly care for the widow of the Marquis's benefactor. Who could have predicted things would devolve to this state?

Inside the main hall, Qian Da and his wife remained standing with the thorned branches on their backs, their expressions grim, as if stifling a bellyful of anger with no outlet.

Qin Yuan promptly instructed Hongye and Cuiming to serve tea. "Please, both of you, sit and speak."

The Qian couple remained silent and unmoving.

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Gu Jinghui said, "The Madame asks you to sit. Why are you still standing?"

Qian Da said coldly, "This old slave wouldn't dare. What if we offend the Marquis and Madame further and you expel us both as well?"

Gu Jinghui's face darkened.

Seeing this, Qian Da's wife quickly spoke up, "This old slave and her husband don't understand how the daughter we raised has offended the Marquis and Madame, warranting being cast out. Generations of accumulated face have been lost. This old slave only dares to hope the Marquis won't expel Bai Que because of others' words. How could we presume to put on airs, sitting here drinking tea and talking?"

Hongye could barely restrain herself from speaking out.

Cuiming, standing further away, gave a light cough.

Hongye glanced at Qin Yuan and, pouting, held her tongue.

Gu Jinghui said displeased, "Stand if you wish. This Marquis is expelling Bai Que from the estate for no other reason than she made a mistake that caused difficulty for this Marquis and his Madame. She is not young anymore. The Old Madame has even mentioned in my presence finding her a match to marry her off. This Marquis is merely saying she should return home first and await marriage. What is improper about that?"

Qian Da's wife offered an ingratiating smile. "Bai Que holds the Marquis in her heart; how could she do anything to cause you difficulty? She was only following Zhao Niangzi's orders, coming to Wutong Yuan to request your presence. She didn't even see your face, fainted from waiting under the scorching sun, and woke up to hear the Marquis was casting her out. Bai Que wept heartbrokenly, her mind fixed on seeking death. We old folks had no choice but to sacrifice our dignity to come and apologize, begging the Marquis to let Bai Que stay. If she is cast out, how can she possibly live?"

Qian Da said, "If the Marquis wants to cast her out, what can a mere servant say? Who told her to be so blind as to upset her masters? However, that girl Bai Que has always regarded the Marquis as more important than her own life. Since childhood, her heart has been set on the Marquis. She clamored to work in the Old Madame's courtyard solely to fulfill this foolish infatuation. The Marquis acting like this... that child is single-minded; she truly cannot bear it. She refuses to eat or drink. It truly pains a parent's heart to see."

Having heard them out to this point, Gu Jinghui glanced at Qin Yuan. She understood—the Marquis was at a loss for how to respond.

Bai Que's parents were indeed clever. In so many words, they had laid bare Bai Que's hopeless devotion and staked their own seniority and face upon it.

Unless she had committed some major offense, what master wouldn't feel compelled to give this old couple some face and let the girl stay?

(End of Chapter)

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Author's Note:

Thank you for everyone's support. Jianqi has read all your comments carefully.

Based on your feedback, Jianqi has revised the book's synopsis, hoping it better reflects Qin Yuan's state of mind.

Having experienced life's joys and sorrows in her previous life, Qin Yuan knows life isn't perfect. She is capable of managing her life well through her own means.

Therefore, she values things beyond romantic love that can allow her to live more freely. (This book doesn't contain excessive intricate plots or schemes.)

Of course, she is worthy and deserves better.

Regarding some people saying the Gu family is utterly foolish, and why would the Old Madame believe the wife of a concubine-born son...

This is because the Dingbei Marquis line has for generations guarded the border. The Old Madame gave birth to four sons, but only the third survived, and he delayed taking a wife for a long time.

The Old Madame is advanced in years and handed over the household management to the wife of the Sixth Master Gu—who couldn't practice martial arts due to a weak constitution in his youth—to manage. After all, weapons have no eyes; no one knew if Gu Jinghui would return alive from the battlefield. The Old Madame naturally trusted the Sixth Madame Gu.

Also, regarding comments about Gu Jinghui's age being too advanced... Yes, people in ancient times generally matured early. His age was somewhat considered older in those days. By modern standards, he'd be in his late twenties, around the stage of having just completed a Master's degree.

Additionally, Jianqi has an older book, "The Doctor Consort Asks Three Questions Daily: Have You Bullied the Scum and Coaxed Your Husband Today?" (Yunqi Academy). The male lead, Yuan Ming, stands alone from the world, his heart opening only to the female lead. The female lead excels in strategy and military tactics, capable of single-handedly reversing the gears of fate and dismantling various intricate plots and schemes. The antagonists are quite formidable. Probably something you all would enjoy.

Thank you for your support. Sincerely grateful.

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Translator's Note: check out my other work— The Marquis’s Beloved is a Black-Hearted Lotus and Rebirth as the Matriarch of a Noble Family (⁠*⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠/⁠～⁠♡

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